Applications had risen from 32,000 in 1992 to 88,300 in 2001 - more than any other industrialised nation, he said.

He also said the overall decline in applications could be almost entirely accounted for by steep drops in Germany and Sweden.

"The home secretary has made it abundantly clear that this is an issue that needs to be tackled, not just from a UK perspective but from a European perspective, which is why he is meeting with French Interior Minister Nicholas Sarkozy over the next month," said the spokesman.

Home Secretary David Blunkett recently caused controversy when he said some schools and doctors' surgeries were being "swamped" by asylum seekers.

Plans were unveiled last week to deport asylum seekers whose applications had been rejected without allowing them to stay pending appeal.

Continental shift

Italy's parliament has been debating tougher measures in recent days, while EU interior ministers on Thursday moved towards creating a new European border police force to curb illegal immigration.

New Danish proposals also aim to clamp down on asylum seekers.

Annual asylum applications per 1,000 inhabitants

Sweden: 2.57

Netherlands: 2.27

Belgium: 2.16

Germany: 1.94

Denmark: 1.84

Ireland: 1.07

Britain: 0.97

Spain: 0.21

The successes of anti-immigrant political candidates in elections in France and the Netherlands recently caused shock.

Some EU leaders are convinced that the only way to tackle the rise of far-right parties - which frequently campaign on anti-immigration platforms - is to take concrete measures to clamp down on foreigners.

But other observers have warned that continually identifying immigration as a problem, rather than as a potential resource, can only benefit the far-right.